Pell Grant cuts would force search for more funds

Brooke Kelly, Asia Tingle
& Derrick Walton
Staff Writers

Jackson State University students may have to find additional sources to pay for their educational expenses if the U.S. Senate decides to cut Pell Grants for the 2011-2012 school year.

In February, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1, which proposes a $845 cut, or 15 percent decrease in the maximum Pell Grant award. Now, it is up to the U.S. Senate to decide on the bill.

Pell Grants are need based financial awards given to low to moderate-income students. In addition to decreasing the maximum award amount, the bill would make over 1.7 million students ineligible for Pell Grants. About 27 percent of U.S. college students currently receive some amount of Pell funding.

The cuts are being considered due to an increase in students meeting Pell Grant qualifications because of the recession and an increase in students trying to attend school because of the poor job market. Also, the Pell Grant program could face a budget shortfall of around $20 billion in 2012, according to various sources.

News of possible cuts to the Pell Grant program have many Jackson State students wondering how they would pay for school with decreased funds. Currently, the maximum amount is $5,550.

“If it was not for federal Pell Grants, it would be very difficult for me to pursue a degree of higher education,” said Charles Dodson, a junior history major from Crenshaw, Miss.

Deric Hoskin, a freshman history major from Atlanta, Ga. said; “I won’t be able to come back to school because I’m already paying out of state tuition.”

There may be some places where Pell Grant cuts may not have a major impact, but at JSU the cuts would leave many students who already have huge loans and other sources of financial aid with no options.

B.J. Moncure, director of financial aid at Jackson State, said 80 percent of JSU undergraduate students have received Pell Grants for the award year 2010-11, which is more than 5,200 students.  While colleges and universities are left wondering about the summer and upcoming year, she stated that awarding will start as normal, with disclaimers that funding amounts are still up to Congressional action.

“Congress is currently looking at several proposals which may affect the awarding and amount of future Pell awards,” said Moncure.  “Students need to be aware that all federal financial aid awards are contingent upon Congressional funding.  Students still to do their part and fill out their FASFA, while we monitor the situation.”

Akedra Atkins, a senior social science major from Jackson, is one of those students who would be impacted by changes in Pell Grant funding.

“I would be messed up and be in serious debt because most jobs for people straight out of college are not based on reference but on credit scores,” she said.

De’Onna Blalock, a junior elementary education major from Newton, Miss., said she would have to borrow more money if her Pell Grant is decreased.

“Loans make up the difference from what my Pell Grant covers and what I need to pay for tuition,” she stated.

According to Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina who chairs the Congressional Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, the cuts will not drastically affect students who really need the money.

“The poverty rate in this country is about 15 percent right now; 27 percent of all college students are getting Pell Grants,” she said in an usnews.com report.

“It’s hardly a devastating cut when you are cutting such a small amount…. We’re cutting entire programs in lots of cases,” she added.

“Pell Grants have grown by 50 percent since 2008, and the department projects that 9.6 million students will qualify for Pell Grants in 2012, up from 6 million in 2008,” said Jane Glickman, public affairs specialist for the U.S. Department of Education, in an email posted by the Daily Helmsman.